209 pages; c 23 cm

A cast of characters in a small New Jersey town becomes players in a global game of high-stakes hide-and-seek when the "Contessa Rinaldi" surfaces in this most unlikely locale. The world famous diamond necklace is coveted not only by its creator, but also by an unpredictable collection of the worthy and worthless who pursue it.Eighty-year-old Jean Pierre Rongard, a renowned French jewelry designer, triggers an international adventure in his desperation to reclaim possession of his most exquisite creation, "The Contessa." After concocting a scheme to steal it, he persuades his devoted nephew, André Lemieux, to carry out the daring theft. The seemingly simple plan quickly begins to unravel when Liam Sullivan, a corrupt American politician, intercepts the necklace. He contrives an extortion plot that turns very personal when he suspects that his wife, Michelle, and André have rekindled a romance thought to be long ago forgotten. But even Sullivan's craftiness is no match for the elusive Contessa. Three local youths inadvertently derail his plan and innocently become involved in a situation that rapidly spirals out of control. The relentless pursuit of the necklace takes everyone involved on a roller coaster of intrigue, betrayal and misadventure in this fast-paced read

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